Maybe you have seen him around campus surrounded by a bunch of students in disbelief, or maybe you have simply heard of him, but Zachary Alexander Gartrell is undoubtedly a Campus Celebrity. He is the magic man. He can amaze you with cards and even make a coin fall up.
Specializing in magic tricks called slight of hand, which he calls a mix of psychology and acting, Zachary performs for students on campus and even makes a dollar or two for his efforts. I sat down with with the magic man and learned a little bit more about his background and speciality in this week’s edition of Campus Celebrity!
How does it feel to be famous?!
It’s pretty cool and I am very excited about it. I had no idea people were that interested. I have been the unofficial magic guy around campus, but I guess now it’s official.
What type of magic do you specialize in?
Close up magic in the broadest sense. I do a lot of coin magic than I do anything else.
Do you plan on making a career out of being a magician?
It is pretty much just a hobby at this point. I just happen to be in minority who likes performing for actual people. Instead of sitting in their bedroom and doing slight of hand in front of the mirror-I like performing for real people and I just happen to make money off of it.
-Photography by Ashley Crist
How did you get into magic?
My grandpa got me interested in with the rope through the neck trick. 9th grade is when I really started picking it up and learning new effects because I wanted to be in the school talent show. I started doing research and then learned new tricks.
What is your all time favorite magic trick?
The coin that falls up.
Basically I take a coin and I show it around to everybody and I say “watch”. It falls down due to gravity, but I like to make it fall up — which is due to anti gravity.
It took me about 6 months of very hard and strenuous practice to perform this trick effortlessly. But as you can see-it’s very much worth the effort.
How many hours a day do you practice?
About 3-4 hours everday.
Including Sunday?
Yeah — like any art or performance, you have to practice to stay active in your skills and keep them up to date. It is kind of a hodgepodge between storytelling, acting, ballet, and just about any dancing I suppose. There is a lot that goes in to it.
Most embarrassing moment?
I did a show for my sister’s church one time, I was really stoked about it, but I didn’t rehearse nearly as much as I should have. I got up there and ran out of effects to do about 10 minutes into the show because I rushed a bit, so I started bringing out the juggling sticks. I thought I would juggle to burn some more time. The end literally breaks off of my stick because I had them for about 6 years at this point, so they were getting a little bit worn out and right at that moment the weight on the end rips off, sticks go flying and I’m stuck up there and the only thing I could think to say was “Well, that was the first time that’s happened.”
What was a pivotal moment in your magic career?
The time I met Jonathon the juggler. I saw first hand his unabashed confidence in his ability to entertain people with magic against their will. He could walk up to someone who had no intention of seeing magic that day, show them magic and the smiles on their faces in response to seeing something truly impossible which is just great. I would have never had the confidence to just walk up to somebody and do that unless I had seen someone else do it first.
Describe yourself in one word
Magical. Oh gosh, that was pathetic…
Do you have any rituals that you do before you go into a show?
I always pray to God that everything will go nicely before any major performance. As far as just going out on the street, I do a routine check to make sure that I have my spongeballs in my pocket, got the final load in the back pocket, and my invisible thread reel. I’m pretty sure you have no idea what this all means but I basically just make sure that everything is in it’s right place.
I have recently seen you around on a unicycle, is that going to be a new addition to your show?
Probably not, I just like riding it around, it’s fun. I am certainly not a clown or a circus performer.
If you could be an animal, what would you be?
I’ve always liked monkeys. To be able to climb a tree whenever I want would be really really cool.
Boxers or Briefs?
Boxers, although my unicycle has made me rethink that because you want everything to be in order…
Pet Peeve?
If you see how it’s done, please keep it to yourself and not ruin it for everyone else. It makes you look like an ass and it makes my job SO much harder. Don’t blurt it out to the whole bloody audience. If you see something, its almost because I want you too, or I screwed up really bad.
Want to see Zachary Live? Shows are on Wednesdays in front of the library 5-10
Facebook:Zachary Gartrell
If you would like to contact Zachary his information is:
Zachary Alexander Gartrell
(804) 878 9435
gartrellza@vcu.edu